Picking Up the Pieces
by foldintothenight
Summary: Takes place 12-18-12 after Super SmackDown Live. A look at things from Kaitlyn's point of view. She gets comfort from the last person she had expected. One-Shot. Rated T for some swearing.


**Adding in a disclaimer. As you know, I do not own the WWE nor any of the performers within the company. This story is based on actual events, and is an option for where things could be heading. I hope you enjoy it!**

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She could have had Eve this time. During the last title shot, she came so close, only to fall short. Kaitlyn knew that she was still relatively new to the main roster of the WWE. So in that case, she was lucky that she wasn't still jobbing, but she had proven herself. She had so much more talent than 95% of the other Divas on the roster and she showed it week after week. Kaitlyn was the future of the Divas division, and she wanted it more than anything. She knew that she had Eve's number this time, but then it happened. AJ. Kaitlyn and AJ used to be best friends. In fact, they were once known as The Chickbusters. As 2012 came to an end, Kaitlyn thought back on all of the things that happened between her and her former best friend.

First came Daniel Bryan. For the first few months, everything was cute. Kaitlyn felt happy for her friend. Then things went south in that relationship. When AJ reacted the way she had to her friend reaching out to comfort and help her friend it hurt Kaitlyn. At the same time, Kaitlyn persisted. She cared about AJ, and was willing to look past the treatment she had received. AJ was hurting, and Kaitlyn was there. When the slightly younger, albeit much more naïve Diva took out her frustrations on Kaitlyn, the two-toned blonde took it. Kaitlyn understood that AJ needed an emotional punching bag, and because she cared, she allowed it to be her. She knew that she wasn't getting through to AJ, so she took a slightly more extreme route to show AJ that Daniel wasn't any good for her. It was a few weeks after Daniel started treating AJ poorly when she started showing affection for the former World Heavyweight Champion. She honestly had no interest in him, but the fact that he went for it was what finally caused AJ to start looking elsewhere.

Kaitlyn knew from the start that CM Punk only ever wanted to comfort AJ and save her from the situation she was in. She saw it, and most of the WWE Universe had as well. But being the type of person AJ is, she didn't. She clung to Punk, quickly becoming obsessed with him. However, it wasn't that which made Kaitlyn back away from it all. She remembered watching as AJ began to show affection toward Kane. Of all people to go back and forth with. By the time it had all escalated to that point, Kaitlyn decided that it was time to focus on her own career. She hated seeing what AJ was doing with herself, but she had accepted that the girl she once referred to as her best friend just simply didn't want her around anymore.

This was something that normally happened at a much younger age. AJ had discovered boys, and suddenly nothing else mattered. Kaitlyn wanted to have her friend back. She wanted to care. She just knew that neither could happen at that time. Kaitlyn tried to not pay attention as things began to seriously escalate. AJ proposed to CM Punk, despite the fact that they were never even dating. Then Daniel Bryan proposed to AJ, who obviously only accepted as an act of revenge for Punk not wanting to be with her. Then AJ became General Manager. Of all people. Kaitlyn loved AJ, but she knew that this would only mean trouble for the flagship show of the company.

She couldn't have been more right. Monday Night RAW had spun out of control and became total chaos. Kaitlyn watched from the shadows, beginning her quest to become Divas Champion. She watched on as AJ's performance was questioned week after week. She did her best to ignore it, but she only could for so long. The night that AJ walked up to Kaitlyn with that coach in professionalism, or whatever the spin was they were trying to put on it was. AJ apologized for everything she had done to her former best friend. The look on her face was sincere, but something felt off to Kaitlyn. She was about to accept AJ's apology when the other girl laughed. AJ had the now famed "crazy" look in her eyes and stated that she wasn't sorry and skipped off. This was when Kaitlyn knew that things were over for good.

Then came the night when everything came crashing down for Kaitlyn. She had earned another title shot against Eve, and with the roll she was on, she felt like she would get it for sure this time. As she was making he way through the backstage area, heading toward the ring, she was stopped by AJ. With everything that happened in the past week, anyone who hadn't questioned AJ's mental state, would be now. AJ acted as though the past few months never happened. In her mind, her and Kaitlyn were friends the entire time and AJ wanted to hang out. Kaitlyn attempted to remain patient with the former RAW GM. She simply stated that she needed to get to the ring for a title match and could talk once it was over. If someone really wanted to mend a friendship, they would have been happy for Kaitlyn. AJ wasn't. She wanted Kaitlyn's attention, and she wanted it right now. When Kaitlyn saw that AJ was getting upset that she wasn't sticking around to talk, Kaitlyn finally let it out. She told AJ that she couldn't trust her to not go back and forth anymore. AJ wasn't the only person that gave Kaitlyn trust issues, but she was certainly on top of the list. The attack left Kaitlyn distraught and frustrated. She still went into the ring, giving it all. She didn't appear physically injured, but the look in her eyes told the entire story. Kaitlyn was crushed. If her friendship with AJ wasn't completely over before, it definitely was then.

After the match was over, Kaitlyn was furious. Eve had gotten herself disqualified. Meaning that Kaitlyn had officially got the win, but Eve would be retaining the title. That was exactly what she didn't need that night. In Kaitlyn's eyes, Eve was no better than AJ. The only difference being that Eve was rational and logical about her actions. If Kaitlyn wasn't going to win the title, she would have preferred to have lost in a clean fashion, but she couldn't change what had happened. After everything that had transpired that night, Kaitlyn wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. She wanted to leave the arena, get a good night's rest, and head back to Houston for Christmas vacation. After everything she went through, she deserved at least that much.

Kaitlyn showered and changed into her street clothes. She started making her way to the parking garage to leave. She stopped in a quiet area in the hall as she made her way. She was so close to making it to her rental car, but her tears had other things in mind. She leaned against the wall with no one in sight. She dropped her bag to her side, covering her face with her hands as she began sobbing. She needed to let it out, and better then than when she was trying to drive.

She couldn't hear the footsteps coming toward her as she began sobbing harder and sliding down the wall. "Kaitlyn?" She heard his voice, but it didn't quite register. She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder, which caused her to slowly straighten herself out. "It's okay, sweetheart. You have every right to cry it out."

Recognizing the voice of the man in her presence she slowly dropped her hands, looking up at him. There standing before Kaitlyn was John Cena, the face of the company and AJ's latest victim. Yes, victim. If it weren't for AJ, Team Hell No wouldn't even exist. The ink on John's divorce papers wasn't even dry yet. He had only been looking for friendship, with the possibility of more in the future, with AJ. He dug the grave himself, though. He assumed that things would be different. She began clinging to him and to prove a point to Vickie Guerrero, John kissed AJ. Biggest mistake of his life. He truly hadn't expected the young girl to become as attached to him as she had. No one really knew the entire story. Earlier in the program, AJ told her side of the story on Miz TV. But John had kept quiet. There was a segment showing John tell Sheamus his side of the story, but all anyone really had to go on based on that was Sheamus's reaction. Which was hysterical. She smiled softly, wiping at her tears non-nonchalantly. She and John hadn't exactly met yet, but it was only a matter of time before they came together. "Hey John," she greeted him weakly with a sniffle.

"Hey, come here," he brought his arms around her, much like he had with AJ only weeks prior. This time it was different, though. He wasn't unsure of how this girl would react. He didn't even know her, but he had done his homework. He knew what Kaitlyn had been through. He knew exactly what she needed, and what she needed was a friend. "If my opinion counts for anything, I believe that you should be Divas Champ right now."

She grabbed onto his shirt with a sigh, she felt new tears beginning to form in her eyes, and she let them. For some reason, she felt like she could with him. "You've actually been paying attention to all of that?" She knew that there had been a time where John Cena spent a lot of time around the Divas locker room, but it wasn't like that anymore. He had grown up. It wasn't just because of the new era, either. When the cameras went away, he had plenty of ample opportunity to pursue any of the Divas, but he didn't. As far as Kaitlyn knew he hadn't even gone to one of the sluttier girls for rebound or comfort sex when his marriage went to hell. For that, Kaitlyn had a lot of respect for him.

He nodded, rubbing her back a bit. "I saw everything tonight. I didn't know what had happened before until someone had filled me in, but now I just feel horrible. I know that I've had a hand in the situation, and I'm sorry for what I did. I honestly didn't know that it would lead to this." He sighed, looking around to make sure that there weren't any witnesses. What was going on was innocent, but he knew that it could easily be twisted around.

"It's not your fault, John," she looked up at him as a couple of more tears streamed down her cheeks. "There was no way we could have known what dating would do to her. I liked her better when we first met and she hadn't discovered boys yet. Only if we had never done that kissing contest on NXT." She shook her head with a small smile. That was a crazy night for them. Hard to believe that it was only two years earlier.

"Kissing contest?" John tilted his head with a smirk. "Now, I heard that things were crazy on that show, but I had no idea they went that far."

Kaitlyn giggled, nodding. "If you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense. What is the one thing us Divas are more known for than our wrestling ability?"

John thought for a moment and nodded. "So what happened in the kissing contest?"

Kaitlyn smiled as she went over the memories. "Well, I was first to go. First I kissed Hornswoggle. Mind you, this was before he started talking. Then Maxine got all bitchy and demanded that someone else come out to kiss us." She took a deep breath before continuing, "now mind you, this was the wedding episode. Goldust offered to marry Aksana for a green card, or some stupid crap like that. So Dusty and Cody came for the show. Why they went that far with it, I'm not sure. But hey... even the DiBiases were there," she shrugged.

"So both Ted and his father?" John blinked, laughing softly.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Ted paid off the original minister to walk away, and in anticipation that happening Dusty asked the Million Dollar Man to officiate the ceremony." She paused, waving her hand with a laugh. "Anyway, like you said, that show was crazy. Back to the kissing contest, after the little guy left Cody came down to the ring. This was while he was doing the whole 'Dashing' thing, so he was like ten times more arrogant than what he is now. I was at the beginning of the line and AJ was at the end. By the time he got down to her, she was looking all shy. Cody and Striker got her to admit that she had never kissed a boy before."

With that last statement John's face dropped, "is that true? I mean, that was only two years ago. I know that she looks and acts a lot younger than she is and everything, but... is she really _that_ innocent?" By this time, he didn't even realize that he was still holding onto Kaitlyn. She may have been holding a conversation, but she was still crying, so he still felt the need to comfort her.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath, "she dated the guy who trained her, but I know that it was nothing serious. She was much more into comics and video games that it had never registered to her, nor the boys around her, to do anything but that. So yeah, to my knowledge, Cody Rhodes was literally AJ's first kiss. She jumped on him, a tactic that I know you know well, and literally knocked him over while planting a good one on him." She shrugged with a sigh, "he loved it."

John shook his head with a sigh, "so everything from that point was a domino effect?" He kissed the top of the girl's head, rocking her back and forth a bit. "I can't believe that the cute little geek girl from the old videos I've seen turned into... well... Dolph Ziggler's girlfriend."

Kaitlyn groaned, rolling her eyes. "Of all of the guys. I mean, really?" She shuddered, "it's not like he's even a good kisser, or anything."

John couldn't help but smirk at that, looking down at her, "you would know?"

With that, Kaitlyn's eyes went wide. John didn't watch NXT. He didn't know what had went on in that show. "Oh yeah, you see..." she darted her eyes, "during that same episode, Dolph cheated on Vickie," she paused, chewing on her bottom lip, "with me."

John couldn't help but chuckle as he hugged her tightly, "hey, we all make our mistakes. Hell, I married one."

"Can I ask you something, John?" Kaitlyn spoke softly, almost hoping that the man holding her would somehow not hear her.

"Of course, hon. You can ask me anything," he nodded, not at all hesitant, despite knowing exactly what the topic was going to be.

"Did you feel anything at all for AJ?" they may have not been friends anymore, but there was a part of Kaitlyn that still cared about the other girl.

John hung his head once the words came out of Kaitlyn's mouth. He knew it was coming, but actually hearing it stung more than he had intended. He buried his face in the crook of the girls neck and sighed heavily. "Yes," he mumbled against her shoulder.

With that confession, Kaitlyn's eyes went wide. She had honestly believed that it was a case of misconstrued comfort, like what had happened when AJ went after Punk. But that wasn't the case at all here, John just admitted that he had feelings for AJ. Kaitlyn moved her hands from the front of his shirt to around his back, returning the hug. She knew that she should have prepared herself for either response that he could have given her, but for some reason, this one caught her off-guard. Just as she was about to say something, she was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"Oi, ye found her. Good," Sheamus chuckled as he walked up to them, patting John's shoulder. It was actually him who had suggested that John find Kaitlyn if he wanted someone to talk to about AJ that may have a better understanding.

John turned to his friend with a smile, nodding. "I caught her breaking down as she was about to leave. We should have snatched this one up a lot sooner. The other Divas have put her through so much, but I can tell that she's cool enough to hang out with us."

Sheamus nodded with a smile, he hated seeing John in the state that AJ had put him in. He could see that talking to Kaitlyn was making him feel better. He could also tell that it wasn't romantic between the two of them, and that was a good thing. "Now I don't mean to interrupt, but ye are me ride, John."

Before John could get a chance to respond, Kaitlyn reached into her pocket. She pulled out the keys to her rental and held them out to Sheamus over John's shoulder. "You can go if ya want, Red. I can tell that John still needs to get more out." She smiled as her Texan drawl slipped out a bit. She had worked on hiding it for years, but it had gotten to a point where she didn't care about much else anymore, so why care about that?

Sheamus took the keys with a nod, looking at the make and model of the car on the tag connected to the keychain with a grin. "Good choice, lass." He took his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it. "How about I get yer number?"

Kaitlyn smiled as she broke away from John and took Sheamus's phone. She entered her number and took a picture of herself for the caller ID. She knew that her eyes were a bit red and puffy from crying, but she didn't care. She could always steal his phone later and give him a better one. She gave Sheamus her phone to do the same when she returned his as she looked to John. "What do ya say, Doctor of Thuganomics? Want to talk about it over a beer?" She smiled as she took her phone back from Sheamus and slipped into her pocket.

John nodded, "I just need to get my," he paused as Sheamus handed him his bag, "my stuff. Well, never mind that. It looks like I'm good," he chuckled. He brought his bag over his shoulder, picking up hers as well. "You gonna be okay without me?" he smirked at Sheamus.

Sheamus rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that I can manage without ye. As long as I can find me a pint, I will be good."

"I didn't actually think that was true," Kaitlyn giggled as the three of them began walking out to the parking garage together.

"Aye, it is lass," Sheamus nodded. "We Irish definitely like the drink."

The Texan smiled, "it's all good. We like to drink in the South, as well."

"I didn't know you were a southerner," John tilted his head just before Sheamus turned off to head to Kaitlyn's rental car.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I was born and raised in Houston. Granted, it's like the Metropolis of the South, but it's still the South."

Sheamus grinned as he waved to the other two. "Well, I'll see you two later. Happy Holidays."

"Happy Holidays, Red," Kaitlyn smiled as she continued walking with John. Once the Irishman got into the car and pulled out, she sighed, looking up to John. "I honestly thought that I was the last person you would want to talk to."

John bit his lip with a nod, "I really didn't even think of it until Sheamus said something. What I've been through with her has been nothing compared to what you've put up with." He got to his bus and opened the door, letting her walk in first. Once they were both inside, he looked up to the driver, signaling for him to start up and head out. "Just stop at a store before the hotel. I'm not going out tonight," he told the driver before finding a place to sit with Kaitlyn. "I know that the two of you used to be best friends, but I also know that because of her behavior, that it is definitely in the past now."

Kaitlyn nodded, running her fingers through her multicolored hair. "It's been real rough. It's almost as if she isn't even the same person anymore," she sighed, playing with her hands in her lap. "And please," she paused, taking a deep breath, "don't blame yourself, John. She was already gone before she met you. She's just that good at putting on an act." She bit her lip, letting that statement linger until the bus came to a stop and they saw that they were at a twenty-four hour convenience store. They got off of the bus and walked into the store together, not really caring if anyone saw them together. She walked back to the beer, pointing to a twelve pack of Budweiser.

John followed her back and nodded, "good choice. I didn't think girls drank beer." He pulled out a case and scanned the store. "You want anything else?"

She laughed, "I'm not like the other girls, remember?" She looked around and shrugged, "I'm really not in the mood for anything else tonight."

John nodded and walked up to the counter, paying for the beer. The clerk recognized him, asking who the girl with him was. "This is my ex-girlfriend's ex best friend," he smirked as he lead Kaitlyn out and back to the bus.

One they were back inside, Kaitlyn busted out laughing. "I can see the headlines now," she paused, raising her hand to read out a headline in mid-air. "John Cena has revenge hook up with ex's former friend."

John shrugged, "let 'em. If creative wants to use it, they will." He set down the case of beer as the bus started up once again and sat down. "It could easily make for an interesting storyline."

Kaitlyn sighed heavily, looking. She had been so upset that she forgot how creative worked. If they happened to come across something occurring in real life that they felt that they could use, they would. Sure, she had a romantic line with Derrick Bateman on NXT Redemption, but this was different. Not very many people paid any attention to NXT. On top of that, NXT was treated like a completely different animal. The storylines barely carried over from the developmental to the main roster. "They're going to put us in a line, aren't they?"

John reached over, rubbing her thigh just above her knee. "I know that you're more about business, but this could be good for you. Have you had a line with any of the guys yet?"

She nodded with a small smile, "just one in NXT. It was one of your boys, Derrick Bateman. I... kinda stole him from Maxine," she giggled.

John laughed, nodding. "So you're the girl he was talking about. I think that he actually likes you."

She took a deep breath, "don't take this the wrong way, but I know that it's going to be different if I have a line with you because let's face it, you're John fuckin' Cena. I just don't know if I'm ready for what that entails."

He smiled, nodding, "none taken, hon. I completely understand. I get it. I know who I am. I know how big my name is." He took a deep breath as they pulled into the hotel. He picked up the case of beer and walked off the bus with her, making their way up to his room.

Once inside, Kaitlyn sat down in a chair with a sigh. "I just can't do what the other girls in the company do. I feel like I should be able to get by on my talent and personality alone."

John nodded as he took two bottles out of the case before putting it into the mini fridge and opened both bottles, handing her one. "And honestly, I think that you should. I mean, you are hot, but you are so much more than that. Even Beth ended up succumbing to using her sex appeal to get to the top. It would be nice to see one of the Divas _not _sleep her way to the top."

Kaitlyn blushed as she nodded, taking a long swig of her beer. "I'm doing my damnedest, but it's not happening so far. That little cunt Eve is still getting everything."

John rolled his eyes. He knew about Eve all too well. He wouldn't exactly use that word to describe her, but that was mostly because he would never use such a word. Girls could use it when in reference to another girl, but a man could never use it as far as he was concerned. "She's actually one of the reasons my marriage ended."

"Oh that's right, I keep forgetting that you were married. You never really broadcasted it, or anything." She smiled, taking another drink of her beer.

He nodded, taking a drink of his own beer. "We were together for a while before getting married, but it just wasn't meant to be. My divorce was only finalized a couple of weeks before the first time I hit on AJ. Granted, I only did that to get a rise out of Punk."

Kaitlyn nodded, sitting back. "So I guess that it's time for you to talk. You said that you had feelings for her. I knew it was best to get you in private and get a beer in your hand before you got into it, and here we are."

John took a deep breath as he sat down on the king sized bed in the room. "Just like we said, everything started out professional. She was the boss. I had a working relationship with her. It wasn't until she wanted to step down and wrestle again that I started looking at her differently. She's cute, I couldn't deny that."

Kaitlyn smiled, "hell, even_ I _will admit to that."

John smirked, "exactly. I wanted to remain professional about it and ride out the storyline. I saw what had happened with the others and I really didn't want to be the next. The first kiss was scripted. It was just supposed to be a one time thing, just to shut Vickie up. Everything after that was all real," he sighed, looking down at his lap. "We started hanging out after that. She just happened to get really clingy, really fast. I did start to fall for her, but she just wanted it all right away. I don't know what world she lives in, but in my world, we don't fall in love that fast. I really thought that everything was actually going really well until she pushed over the ladder."

"And now she's with Dolph. He's probably already told her that he loves her. Let's just see how long that lasts," Kaitlyn sighed, shaking her head. "I take it Big Red and I are the only ones who know about this?"

John nodded, "I may come out with it at the first RAW of the new year. Because I think that we both know that Miz is going to ask me to come on his show and give my side of the story."

"If he does, would you like me to come with you?" she smiled as she finished her beer and got up, tossing the bottle into a trash can. "I think we both know that I am the most obvious person for you to go to for moral support. Which is exactly what you did." She sighed, going to sit down once again as more tears filled her eyes.

"Want another one?" John looked over to her as he finished his own beer and got up, disposing of the empty bottle. When she nodded, he walked over to the mini fridge and got two more bottles out, opening them and giving one to her. "You can stay if you like."

Just as Kaitlyn was about to take a sip of her beer, her eyes widened. "John..."

He held up his hands in surrender, "I don't mean like that. I can just tell that you might not want to be alone tonight. I just want to be here for you. I promise that I won't try anything. I want to be friends."

She smiled, getting up and walking over to the bed, sitting next to him as she took a long drink of her beer. "Friends," she smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. They had both gotten a new friend out of the ordeal that they would begin to refer to as "Hurricane AJ", and that was exactly what they both needed.


End file.
